The Proverbs of Scotland - Alexander Hislop

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not remove at all than do so and then regret it.

      "Didna I see when gentle Geordie was seeking to get other folk out of the Tolbooth forby Jocky Porteous? but ye are of my mind, hinny—better sit and rue, than flit and rue—ye needna look in my face sae amazed. I ken mair things than that, maybe."—Heart of Midlothian.

      Better saucht wi' little aucht than care wi' mony cows.

      Better comfort and peace of mind with little, than care and contention with much.

      Better saut than sour.

      Better say "Here it is" than "Here it was."

      Better short and sweet than lang and lax.

      Better sit idle than work for nought.

      Better sit still than rise an' fa'.

      Better skaith saved than mends made.

      Better that offence should not be given than committed and then apologized for.

      Better sma' fish than nane.

      Better soon as syne.

      "I tell'd your honour a while syne, that it was lang that I hae been thinking o' flitting, may be as lang as frae the first year I came to Osbaldistone Hall; and now I'm o' the mind to gang in gude earnest—better soon as syne—better a finger aff as aye wagging."—Rob Roy.

      Better spared than ill spent.

      Better speak bauldly out than aye be grumphin'.

      If a complaint requires to be made, make it openly and straightforwardly, instead of continuing to fret about it in an indirect manner.

      Better the barn filled than the bed.

      Because a full barn denotes prosperity, a full bed trouble.

      Better the end o' a feast than the beginning o' a fray.

      Better the mother wi' the pock, than the faither wi' the sack.

      "The mother, though in a low condition, will be more kindly to, and more careful of, orphans, than the father can be, though in a better."—Kelly.

      Better the ill ken'd than the gude unken'd.

      Better the nag that ambles a' the day than him that makes a brattle for a mile and then's dune wi' the road.

      Better thole a grumph than a sumph.

      Be troubled rather by an intelligent, though surly man, than by a stupid one.

      Better tine life than gude fame.

      "I might hae fled frae this Tolbooth on that awfu' night wi' ane wha wad hae carried me through the warld, and friended me, and fended for me. But I said to them, Let life gang when gude fame is gane before it."—Heart of Midlothian.

      Better tine your joke than tine your friend.

      Better to haud than draw.

      Better to rule wi' the gentle hand than the strang.

      Better twa skaiths than ae sorrow.

      "Losses may be repaired, but sorrow will break the heart and ruin the constitution."—Kelly.

      Better unkind than ower cumbersome.

      Better unmarried than ill married.

      Better wade back mid water than gang forward and drown.

      Rather withdraw from a bargain or position found likely to prove bad or dangerous than proceed with either in hopes of improvement.

      Better wait on cooks than leeches.

      Better wear shoon than wear sheets.

      Better you laugh than I greet.

      Meaning, I would rather be ridiculed for not doing a thing, than do it and be sorry for it.

      Better your feet slip than your tongue.

      Between Martinmas and Yule, water's wine in every pool.

      Between the deil and the deep sea.

      Between two extremes equally dangerous.

      "I fell into Claverhouse's party when I was seeking for some o' our ain folk to help ye out o' the hands o' the whigs; sae, being atween the deil and the deep sea, I e'en thought it best to bring him on wi' me, for he'll be wearied wi' felling folk the night, and the morn's a new day."—Old Mortality.

      Between three and thirteen, thraw the woodie when it's green.

      Train the minds and principles of children when young.

      Between you and the lang day be'it.

      Be what ye seem and seem what ye are.

      Bid a man to a roast and stick him wi' the spit.

      Pretend to show kindness to a man while your intention is to injure him.

      Bide weel, betide weel.

      Wait well or patiently and you will fare well; or at least as well as those who are hasty.

      Biggin and bairns marrying are arrant wasters.

      "Building is a sweet impoverishing."—Spanish.

      Bind the sack ere it be fou.

      Do not tax any person or thing to the utmost.

      Birds o' a feather flock thegither.

      Birk will burn be it burn drawn; sauch will sab if it were simmer sawn.

      Literally, wood will burn even if drawn through water, and the willow will droop if sown out of season. Figuratively, natural will and inclination will predominate and exhibit themselves, although submitted to the most antagonistic influences.

      Birth's gude but breeding's better.

      Bitter jests poison friendship.

      Black's my apron, and I'm aye washing 't.

      When a man has got a bad character, although he may endeavour to redeem it, he will find great difficulty in doing so.

      Black will tak nae ither hue.

      Blaw the wind ne'er sae fast, it will lown at the last.

      Blind horse rides hardy to the fecht.

      "Who so bold as blind Bayard?"—French.

      Blind men shouldna judge o' colours.

      Blue and better blue.

      "That is, there may be difference between things of the same kind and persons of the same station."—Kelly.

      Blue's beauty, red's a taiken, green's grief, and yellow's forsaken.

      Examples of the "Poetry of colour."

      Blue is love true.

      Bluid's thicker than water.

      "'Weel, weel,' said Mr. Jarvie, 'bluid's thicker than water; and it liesna in kith, kin, and ally, to see motes in ilk other's een if other een see them no.'"—Rob Roy.

      Bode a robe and wear it, bode a pock and bear it.

      According as our aspirations are high or low, so do we succeed or fail. "As you make your bed, so you must lie on it."

      Bode for a silk gown and ye'll get a sleeve o't.

      That is, if we "bode" or earnestly wish for an article or result, we will get at least something approaching to it. An Aberdeenshire parallel to this is, "They never bodet a house o' gowd, but aye got a caber o't."

      Bode gude and get it.

      Boden gear stinks.

      The theory of the fox and grapes.

      Bonnet aside! how sell you your maut?

      Bonny birds are aye the warst singers.

      Bonny sport, to fare

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